


The Price We Pay

by Lady_Lavender



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, M/M, Multi, Mute Roy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 11:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lavender/pseuds/Lady_Lavender
Summary: Edward Elric, the Golden Alchemist, is considered one of the Heroes of Ishval, and hasn't spoken to his brother in years. However, when an eleven-year-old Roy Mustang performs human transmutation and burns the evidence, Ed requests Alphonse's help to keep Roy safe from the higher-ups.He wasn't expecting to watch Roy grow up into exactly the kind of young man he wanted to have a relationship with, however...





	1. Chapter 1

Roy looked up from the transmutation circle, dark eyes wide. Next to him, Riza screamed. This was… not how it was supposed to go. He opened his mouth, trying to tell Riza to get back, that he'd take care of it, but all that came from him was a strangled, almost-inhuman noise.

 

_"Alchemists who treat the natural order of things as toys to be broken will find themselves in the same broken state. You wanted to talk to your friend again? You won't be able to talk to_ _**anyone** _ _again, after this."_

 

Truth… That bastard! Roy slammed his fist on the ground, trying not to cry. Riza's voice as she backed away from him brought him back away from that white domain into the real world, though.

 

"Roy… Roy, what is that… That's not Maes, is it?"

 

He looked up, trying to take in the figure. That was no human child. It didn't look anything _like_ human… Roy swallowed down bile, trying to keep from throwing up as he realized what he'd done. If it really was Maes in there, then he had to… he had to…

 

A hoarse scream made it out of his throat as he clapped his hands together, setting the distorted body on fire.

 

_I'm so sorry, Maes. I'm so fucking sorry._

 

* * *

 

Rumors circulated around East City about the blaze that had burned down an abandoned building and nearly spread to the rest of the block. Edward Elric, the Golden Alchemist, sighed as he looked through the reports. There was no doubt about it, the fire was alchemic in nature, and the only remains they'd found had been _decidedly_ not human. A chimera experiment gone wrong?

 

"Lieutenant Colonel Elric, Sir!" Jean Havoc, one of Ed's best friends and most trusted subordinates saluted as he entered the office, then hurried forward with a new file. "We tracked down those leads from the eyewitnesses." The file opened, showing a photograph—two boys with dark hair and eyes, one of them wearing glasses while the other's face was circled with red ink, and a blonde girl standing close to them both. "His name is Roy Mustang, he was the apprentice to Berthold Hawkeye before the man passed away last summer."

 

Hawkeye… the one who had been conducting research into flame alchemy? Ed hated the thought of having to bring in a boy who was _apparently_ not even a goddamn teenager for arson, but it was looking increasingly like he may not have had a choice. "And the girl?"

 

"Riza Hawkeye, Berthold's daughter. The two kids are apparently very good friends. But no one's seen or heard from Mustang since the arson, and Hawkeye's been keeping on the downlow.

 

"The other boy?" Ed pointed to the one wearing glasses in the photo. He wasn't seeing anything about that other boy in the file. If he was a close friend of the other two, they would have to investigate him as well.

 

Jean frowned, shaking his head. "Maes Hughes, their best friend. Died a year ago after he was hit by a car, not even a month after Berthold Hawkeye passed away. According to the people who know them, Roy hasn't been the same. Said he was obsessed, always with his nose in an alchemy book. Like it could bring Hughes back or something."

 

Ed's golden eyes went wide. Oh. That was why the remains in the building… " _Fuck_. We have to find this kid before someone else does. And whatever you do, don't breathe a _word_ to anyone else outside of my office about this, do I make myself clear?" He stood up, gathering the file Jean had brought him. He had to get out of the office. _Now._

 

"Uh, sure Boss, but what's going on?" Jean seemed confused. Ed shrugged him off, heading to somewhere that he wouldn't be watched by the military.

 

"I'll explain later. First, I've gotta make a call to someone I haven't talked to in years." Ed hadn't talked with Al since before… _Ishval_. This wasn't going to be any fun, but Al was the only person he could trust with this information. Maybe, since Alphonse was still on good terms with their old friend Izumi… She deserved to know. That there were others out there who might have tried what she had.

 

Taking off the rest of the work day wasn't exactly ideal for someone of his rank, but fuck it, he was rising rapidly through the ranks and planned on moving to Central one day in the near future. The rest of his team could handle the paperwork, Ed had to make this call. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince Al to help him out. Just this one time. It was all that was on his mind as he made his way to a public telephone booth, closing the door behind him so he would have some semblance of privacy. More privacy than he'd have had at the office, that was for damn sure.

 

"Hello, Elric residence." Hearing Al's voice cut deep into Ed's heart. He wanted to see his brother again so badly… but Al had never forgiven him for becoming a dog of the military, for _following orders_ in Ishval. He didn't even realize he was barely breathing, tears running down his face as he stood in silence. "… Hello? Who's there?"

 

Ed swallowed, trying to clear the catch in his throat and still the shaking of his automail arm. "It's… Sorry, it's just been so long… Little brother…"

 

There was a pause. "It's been _three years_ , Brother. You haven't written, you've never called, and you just… what, call me up on a whim one day?" Al raised his voice, but Ed didn't think he was going to get hung up on.

 

"Not just on a whim, Alphonse… I need your help for something."

 

This time, Al's voice was louder, and Ed could _hear_ the hurt in his voice. "How is that any better? What could the _Golden Alchemist_ need _my_ help for? Destroying an innocent city?"

 

Ed winced, trying to hold back tears. This wasn't how he wanted his first time talking to Al in so long to go. "Al, please… There's a kid that the military's gonna come down on soon. He's just a _kid_ , he's _eleven_ , for fuck's sake. He just… missed his friend, that's all…"

 

Al went silent on the other end, but Ed could still hear him breathing into the receiver. "He tried it, didn't he. Just like Izumi tried—"

 

"I mean, I don't know for sure yet, but the evidence sure points in that direction." Ed could hear his voice cracking.

 

On the other end of the line, Al sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

 

"I need someone I can trust at my side with this one, Al. I'm not asking you to try and get any state certifications… But I _could_ use a new personal assistant and bodyguard. Technically, you'd be under my command, but no one would expect you to do… what I did." In Ishval.

 

There was a long silence, and for several whole minutes, Ed thought that his brother was going to hang up on him. "Fine, but _only_ if you can guarantee I won't be used as a human weapon."

 

Ed nodded, then realized that right, he was on the phone and his brother couldn't see him. "I promise, Alphonse. You won't even have an official rank, not if I can help it. Besides, I need someone around to hit me upside the head if I do something royally stupid, right?"

 

The laugh he heard on the other end was enough to lift Ed's spirits. He'd missed hearing Al's laugh. "You're a little shit that needs _someone_ to keep him from doing stupid things, that's for sure! How long do you think you can keep this kid from being found out by the rest of the military?"

 

As he closed his eyes and felt a smile creeping up at the corners of his lips, Ed sighed into the receiver. "A couple days, a week if we're lucky. My office is the one investigating the arson that brought him up as a lead. I've got to at least _pretend_ like I know what I'm doing here, Al."

 

"What happens if he refuses to go under your protection?" Roy could choose not to take a state certification, could choose to… to go on trial for what he'd done.

 

"I'll protect him. One way or another. Unless he confesses to doing human transmutation in front of the Fuhrer himself, I'll be there to shoot down anyone who so much as breathes a word of trying to put him in jail to rot."

 

Al hummed softly, the sound coming through as mostly static on Ed's end of the line. "You're lucky I don't have much I need to do here, Brother. I'll be on the train first thing tomorrow. Where are you stationed?"

 

Ed smiled, and for the first time in years, the ache in his heart at being estranged from Alphonse was lifting. "East City. I'll get started on your paperwork right away."

 

There was a light laugh, and Ed could hardly believe he'd be able to hear it again, in person, nearly every day soon. Hopefully. "Alright, Brother. I'll see you in a couple of days."

 

When Alphonse hung up, Ed took a deep breath, trying to hold onto his tears. But when he set the receiver down, he couldn't help it, everything just seemed to come pouring out at once.

 

He was going to see his brother again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like this. I'm aiming for slow burn but who the fuck knows how well I'm going to do with that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit this is a lot more dialogue than I usually write I'm so sorry, I tried to make it readable.

Ed was surprised at how relatively easy it was to get Al's paperwork in order. Despite technically working for the military, Al was, essentially, signing up for a desk job. If he wanted to do more than that, he'd eventually have to go through military training. Get a _rank_. Possibly show himself to be an alchemist and face pressure to get a state certification. By the time Al's train arrived, Ed had gotten everything finished, albeit not without worry about what would happen after his brother started working for him. Al signing the papers was, at that point, merely a formality—everything had been cleared by the higher ups already. It made Ed wonder what their plan was, or if they were just really that dense.

 

Meeting Al in uniform was completely unacceptable. Ed was in civilian clothes, trading his military blue for a casual all-black outfit. At least he'd grown up enough to have ditched the tacky red jacket he wore when he was a teenager, although he'd _seriously_ thought about getting one again just for this occasion so Alphonse would recognize him. Granted, Ed only considered it in all seriousness for about three seconds, but still.

 

Ed sighed, waiting for the train to empty out so he could find Al. Hopefully this was the right train. What did Alphonse even _look_ like these days? Did he still keep his hair short? Did he still dress as nicely as ever? Fuck. Ed was really getting nervous. What if he was too short to be seen properly? Sure, he'd hit a growth spurt years ago, but he was still a couple inches below average height for a man his age.

 

"Brother? Ed!" The familiar voice immediately drew Ed's attention, and he raised his right hand to wave Al over.

 

Apparently the wrong action, though, because what color and happiness Ed had seen on Al's face drained away. Shit. "Edward, what _happened_? When did you lose your arm?" And the unspoken _why didn't you tell me_ to go with it.

 

Ed tried to smile and laugh it off. He really did. But it was just… still too soon, it felt like. Rather than speak, he pulled Alphonse in for a tight hug, relieved when Al dropped his suitcase and started hugging him back. "It… it happened at the end of my time in Ishval. One of the other alchemists—Kimblee—attacked our commanding officers. I had to stop him… I lost my right arm and my left leg in that fight. Don't… don't push me to spar or anything, okay? I'm still technically supposed to be recovering." It was part of why he had a desk job at the moment.

 

"You should've told me, Brother… You know Pinako and Winry could've—"

 

Shaking his head, Ed pushed Al back with a sad smile. "Winry's my mechanic. I made both of them swear not to say anything to you. I'm… I'm glad they didn't. I didn't want to worry you."

 

The blow to his head came faster than Ed had been expecting. "You idiot! I worried every day over you ever since you got your state certification! I worried over you ever since you were called into action in Ishval! I waited _every goddamn day_ for you to write or call me, and when you finally do, now I've got to worry over whether you're taking care of your automail properly!"

 

He couldn't stop himself from laughing. This was… just like old times. "I missed you, Al. I'm sorry. I thought you never wanted to see me again…"

 

There was another hit to his head, softer this time, and Ed could hear Al joining in with his own gentle laughter. When Ed looked up, he could see tears welling in Al's eyes. "I missed you too, Ed. I was mad at you, I'm _still_ mad at you, but… it's nice to see you again."

 

"It's nice to see you, too… Wanna have lunch before we start on business? My treat." Ed picked up Al's suitcase, refusing to let his younger brother carry it. Ed was the reason Al was here, after all, so it seemed only right.

 

As they waited for their food, they caught up with each other, each of them careful to avoid mentioning Ishval. It made Al angry, and it was obvious from the way Ed spaced out at the very mention of it that he'd been traumatized by the orders he'd had to carry out. Better to keep to lighter topics.

 

"So, Brother, who's this kid you mentioned?"

 

Ed blinked at the sudden change in conversation. He and Al had just been talking about how Izumi was doing, what… oh. Right. He looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, realizing where Al's mind had gone. "I have his file in my briefcase in the car. His name is Roy Mustang, he's eleven years old. Last summer, his alchemy teacher died. I guess he'd seen the man as a father figure, from what I read. And then three weeks after that, his best friend got hit by a car. Thirteen days ago, an abandoned house caught fire and nearly set the entire city block ablaze. There were… remains in there. Right now, most people think it was an illegal chimera project gone wrong."

 

Al waited, then said what was obviously on Ed's mind. "You think those remains are from a human transmutation attempt that went wrong."

 

"Yeah…" Ed nodded, looking up to meet Al's eyes, so similar in color to his own. "Officially, I've got to investigate him, because his teacher was researching Flame alchemy, and the arson was clearly alchemic in nature. Since he's still such a young kid, I could arrange for him to get off without any charges for the arson. Add in the remains, call it two young kids being dumb and running into an illegal and escaped chimera in the local abandoned house, and Mustang defending himself… Plausible story."

 

Several moments passed, Al looking thoughtfully into his coffee cup as Ed finished off his sandwich. "You want him to get state qualifications." It was a statement, not a question, and Ed nodded slowly.

 

"As the officer who recommended him, he'd be put under my command. I could protect him that way."

 

Gold eyes looked into Ed's, narrowed and angry. "And what if he doesn't want your protection?"

 

Ed swallowed, breaking his gaze away from Al's. He was starting to understand what people meant when they told Ed _he_ had an intense stare. Must run in the family. "Then I let him go. I can't force him to join the military, Al. But maybe you can introduce him to Izumi, so at least he'd know he's not alone."

 

The answer seemed to satisfy Al, who finally looked away to take a long sip of coffee. "What do you think the Truth took from him?"

 

Al's question made his stomach drop. "Oh fuck. I forgot about the toll. Al. Al, we should go see him. _Today_. He's just a kid, he's bound to be terrified…"

 

"Ed, he's been in hiding for almost two weeks now. Seeing the military show up at his door without any warning is gonna terrify him a lot more than whatever he did." Al frowned, trying to keep Ed level-headed. He was always good at that.

 

"Then we meet him in civilian clothing, right after we're done eating. Come on, Al, don't tell me you don't _want_ to go comfort him if my theory turns out to be true."

 

"Brother! You're hoping to be his commanding officer and you want to go _comfort_ him?" Al sounded exasperated, his expression more unsure of what Ed was thinking more than showing any of the usual signs of anger.

 

Ed grinned widely, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's what I wish someone would have done for me when I had started out, so why not? Besides, he's just a kid. No one would question it. And on top of that, he's not military _yet_ , so you and I can comfort him as much as we damn well like, right?"

 

Ed watched as Al just shook his head with a small, sad smile. "You're impossible. Finish eating so we can go see the kid, okay?"

 

* * *

 

There was a knock at the door. Roy looked up from his book on Amestrian sign language when his cousin, Jessica, went to get it. No one had bothered him about the arson yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. His cousins had been hearing about the investigation team finding information on him… But no one had come for him in the two days since. Maybe they thought he was too young to be the culprit?

 

He wished Riza were here today. She was always by his side, steady as a rock for him. Like the sister he'd never had. But today she had gone to the library to try and find more books on sign language for him. These ones seemed a little on the outdated side of things. It didn't even have a sign for _radio_. Maybe, if the investigation on that house he'd burned down turned out okay, he'd be able to go to Central and learn from the school for the deaf there. East City was big, but only Central had a school that taught blind and deaf people any kind of higher education. And none of them taught alchemy…

 

He sighed, resigning himself to being interviewed when he heard two older male voices being invited into the house. Jessica was off work to take care of him, so she was out of the intelligence-gathering loop until the military showed up. Had been put under strict orders by his Aunt Chris that no one outside of family (which also included Riza, Roy had been happy to note) was allowed in until the military came to call.

 

"Roy. Lieutenant Colonel Elric and his personal assistant are here to talk with you."

 

Elric? Roy's eyes went wide, and he looked up at the famed Golden Alchemist… dressed in civilian clothes. Confused, he tried his hardest to make a questioning noise, the sound barely squeaking out.

 

The alchemist laughed, holding up his hands—one of them automail—and making a motion to calm down. "It's alright. I'm just here to talk for right now. The rest of my team will be here tomorrow for a formal interview, right now it's just me and my brother, Alphonse, on unofficial business."

 

Jessica frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "If you'd said that earlier, I wouldn't have let you in. What is this about? The fire? Because—"

 

Lieutenant Colonel Elric ignored Jessica, looking straight at Roy with those captivating golden eyes. "It's about Maes Hughes, actually."

 

Roy could feel the blood draining from his face. _He knows. How does he know?_

 

There was a loud sound that startled both Roy and the Golden Alchemist as Jessica stomped her foot. "How dare you? He was just starting to get over grieving! And you have the _nerve_ to—"

 

Before he even realized what he was doing, he was tugging at Jessica's dress, shaking his head. "Roy?" She seemed surprised, looking down at him. Roy pointed toward the kitchen, miming drinking from a teacup with his other hand. He didn't want her to overhear the conversation…

 

"You're sure." Stubbornly, Roy nodded, and then pointed his finger to the kitchen again, more forcefully. "Alright." She turned to the alchemist and his brother, frowning. "Good luck talking to him, though. He hasn't spoken a word to anyone except Riza in two weeks."

 

When she left to go make tea, Roy motioned for the two older men to follow him to the library. He picked up a pen and a blank journal, writing two simple words in it and underlining them before shoving it in Elric's face. **You know**

 

Gold eyes caught Roy's, soft and understanding as the Lieutenant Colonel nodded. "I'm guessing, too, that it's not just that you _won't_ talk, it's that you _can't_ talk, am I right?"

 

Rather that write a whole new sentence, he added a couple words on the top of the page and a question mark at the end. **How do you know?**

 

This time it was the brother, Alphonse, who spoke. "A friend of ours from when we were kids tried it several years ago. She wanted to bring back her baby…"

 

Roy looked down, pen in hand as he tried to figure out what to say next. So they knew someone who had committed the taboo. Did that mean they weren't going to turn him in for it? What was their game? He wished for a second time today that Riza were here with him. She always knew what was going on in his head, sometimes better than he did, and had been talking for him a lot the past couple of weeks. Maybe he could make sure that she would be with him tomorrow, when the official interview would happen. That way he wouldn't be _completely_ alone.

 

"Look. Right now, the official working theory is that there was an illegal chimera experiment being kept in that house, and that you and your friend were in there and defended yourselves with alchemy. No charges are gonna be put against you, but we've got to get a statement from you. Also, the alchemy that you used to burn down that house is dangerous, so the government is probably going to want to keep an eye on you." Lieutenant Colonel Elric looked at Roy, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and offering it to him.

 

"This is an official recommendation to get a state alchemy certification. If you agree and you pass, you'll be put under my command. And it'll keep the government happy to know that someone with particularly dangerous alchemy is working _for_ them, instead of conspiring to bring it down. You'll get money to do research, but you'll have to follow orders…" Elric looked to the side. "I can't force you to sign up, but I do think you'd get in, easily. It's the only way I know to be able to protect you from anyone who might find out the truth. If you refuse—"

 

"And you'd be in your right to refuse," Alphonse butted in.

 

"… If you refuse, I can't personally guarantee anything won't happen to you."

 

Alphonse rolled his eyes, then punched the Lieutenant Colonel in the shoulder, wincing slightly as he realized that he'd hit the automail arm. "You can't guarantee anything won't happen to him even _with_ taking the state exams, dumbass."

 

The Lieutenant Colonel shrugged. "No, I can't. But I do think it's going to be the best way to keep you safe, Roy."

 

Roy looked at the letter, still in a sealed envelope with his name on it. This could change his life. He… he couldn't just make that kind of decision right away. Was he expected to? He set the envelope down, picking up his journal again and scribbling his response so the Elric brothers could see it.

 

**I need to talk to my family about it first.**

 

Two pairs of golden eyes looked at each other, and in unison they looked back to Roy with nearly identical, forlorn expressions. "I think that's a good idea. Think about it. Talk to them. Whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting." The Lieutenant Colonel smiled, reaching out his automail hand to shake Roy's.

 

Hesitantly, not quite believing that he was going to be _touching_ the Golden Alchemist, Roy took the proffered hand and shook it. "We'll see you tomorrow, Roy. In military uniforms. Be prepared to do a lot of writing, okay?"

 

Just as Jessica was coming out with a pot of tea, the brothers were standing up and getting ready to leave. "Oh. Roy insisted I make tea for you. Won't you stay for at least a cup?"

 

Alphonse smiled, shaking his head. "I just arrived in town. I think if I have any tea I might fall asleep here, and then Brother would have to drag me out. I don't want to have to do that to you. Thank you, though, it smells lovely. Maybe you can make the same kind tomorrow for the official interview? I'd love to have a cup after getting a proper night's sleep."

 

_Smooth decline._

 

Still put out, Jessica let the two men leave, turning to Roy after they were gone. "Alright, Roy-boy. You demanded I make tea, so you're going to help me drink it all."

 

For the first time in almost two weeks, Roy felt himself smile a little. Yeah, okay. He could do that.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you guys like this. I'm aiming for slow burn but who the fuck knows how well I'm going to do with that.


End file.
